Future uncertain for paid internship program

Saturday

Jun 7, 2014 at 7:00 AM

By Scott O'ConnellDaily News Staff

FRAMINGHAM - A new program that placed more than 150 students in paid internships this past year and earned praise from participating organizations is at risk of being cut back next year due to lack of state funding, according to Framingham State University.The CHOICE Internship Program, which debuted last summer, was paid for with matching contributions of just over $100,000 apiece from the state budget and the FSU Foundation, the university's private fundraising arm. The foundation is again committed to providing another $100,000 next school year, said school spokesman Dan Magazu.The status of the state's share is uncertain. The House budget proposes continued funding for the initiative, but the Senate version does not, he said.University officials are hopeful the legislative conference committee finalizing the fiscal 2015 budget will include the House's allocation. If not, Framingham State would probably reduce the number of interns by half, Magazu said.Part of a systemwide effort at the Massachusetts state universities to provide paid internships for college students, the CHOICE program has stood out in its aim of specifically subsidizing positions at organizations that have only been able to offer unpaid internships, said Dawn Ross, Framingham State's director of career services and employer relations. Government agencies and non-profits "typically don't have the budget for internships, but they have such rich learning opportunities," she said, which CHOICE helps make feasible for students by chipping in an actual paycheck."They all have at least one part-time job, or even two or three. When they give up one of those to do an unpaid internship, they can't make ends meet," Ross said. "Some of them are paying their way through college, or supporting their family.""The fact that it was paid probably saved me," said Josh Sweeney, who found an internship at the New England Innocence Project through the program. "If it wasn't, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it. I'm a commuter - I have car loans and car insurance (to pay for)."Sweeney, a Hopkinton resident who graduated from Framingham State this past year, said his work at the Innocence Project, which provides pro bono legal services to people who believe they have been wrongfully convicted, has given him invaluable experience as he works toward a career in forensic psychology. One of the requirements of the program is that participating organizations must ensure students gain knowledge and skills, and not just provide free labor, according to Ross."The organizations do gain a benefit," she said. "But the internships have to benefit the students most of all - there's a lot of supervision and mentoring going on."The three CHOICE interns who worked at the Framingham Downtown Renaissance this past spring helped redesign the neighborhood development organization's website, executive director Holli Andrews said."It's terrific experience for them," she said, adding the students are now able to put on their resumes they did a project typically done by professionals. "And for an organization that doesn't have much money for payroll, it was just great (for us). They really did something that's putting us out there.""(The feedback) has just been extremely positive," said Ross, who hopes the CHOICE program will not only continue to be offered at Framingham State, but also become a model for the rest of the state universities.After starting out with just five internships last summer, the initiative offered 18 last fall, 110 this past spring, and has 20 more lined up this summer."It's been more successful than we could have imagined," Magazu said. "We're really hoping the state will support this."Scott O'Connell can be reached at 508-626-4449 or soconnell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottOConnellMW

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